New Dimension: The Inter

So after I finally learned about all of the travel mechanics of the Nether and the Overworld, I brainstormed a new dimension with some more interesting quirks. I had a blast nerding out with the mechanics and environments of this new place to explore. Definitely need some more ideas and brainstorms.

The Inter

The exact opposite of the Nether. While the Nether is hot and hyperspatial (1 block travelled in the Nether is 8 in the Overworld), the Inter is cold and hypospatial (1 block travelled in the Overworld is 8 in the Inter). Even more interesting, the Nether and the Inter are antispatial to each other (1 block travelled in one dimension is -1 in the other). The Inter is reached by constructing and igniting a portal made from Glowstone blocks. Nether portals can be built and ignited in the Inter and vice versa.

The Inter is a vast, open, multi-layered expanse of ice, water, and various other materials. Lava cannot be placed in the Inter; it instantly turns into obsidian. Ice can be collected without the need for Silk Touch. Like the Nether, beds cannot be used, but instead of exploding, they implode into lumps of charcoal. Water in the Inter flows as slow as Lava does in the Overworld. Native mobs are immune to flame and are healed by stasis potions.

The player can find Inter Cathedrals, the Inter equivalent of Nether Fortresses. These are built from Ice Bricks (crafted from Ice) and contain valuable treasures, pre-written books (maybe fans could submit original stories to be published in-game), and an Inter Shade (explained later) basement maze.

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Mobs

Cryozoan

A creature so adept at absorbing energies that, despite its dense body, it can negate the force of gravity, floating effortlessly through the subzero expanse of the Inter. It is neutral by default, but if you attack it, it will blast you with a stasis-inducing mist and attempt to escape. When they die, they drop Absolute Frost (explained later).

Glaciopede

Built to traverse the mysterious lakes of Absolute Ice (explained later), the Glaciopede is able to absorb and tweak kinetic energy as required for controlled movement across the frictionless substance. Once again, the creature is neutral, but will attack if provoked, striking the player with great force and knockback while also creating temporary walls of ice to retreat from a losing battle.

Ice Golem

Large, ravenously hostile mobs with sharp ice spikes growing from their backs. These creatures are clumsy and have bad eyesight, but once they are aware of the player's existence, they will heave their ice spikes at the player when at range and will make slow but forceful stomping and walloping attacks up close. Upon death, they drop Inter Shade (explained later) and Inter Spikes (also explained later).

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Blocks and Items

Absolute Ice

Has no friction and inflicts a stasis effect on players and non-native mobs, so once you move across it, you will continue moving in that direction nonstop with no ability to rotate or use tools until you reach the other end of the area of Absolute Ice blocks. If you fall straight down onto the blocks and remain stationary, you can rotate and use tools, but you need to plan your movement to slide where you want to off of the blocks.

Absolute Frost

The fragmented item version of Absolute Ice. Can be crafted from or into Absolute Ice blocks or used to brew Potions of Stasis.

Potion of Stasis

Best used in the form of a splash potion (for obvious reasons). Stasis potions heal Inter mobs, freeze players and Overworld mobs (although they also reduce damage caused to them and make them immune to flame), and practically dematerialize Nether mobs. In a unique twist, this potion is brewed from a Mundane Potion.

Antium

An astounding material that produces a bizarre "reversing" energy from the insane cold. It is mined from rare and scattered deposits in the Inter and used to brew Potions of Phasing or craft Antium Blocks.

Antium Block

An absolutely bizarre block that negates falling damage without the "bounce" of Slime Blocks, turns explosions into implosions, and reverses mob movement and player movement controls.

Potion of Phasing

This incredible potion allows the player to phase through anything at will. The player can still treat items as solid, but is also able to "climb" through blocks. Just make sure you return to an open area before the potion wears off. Brewed from a Thick Potion.

Inter Shade

A block that absorbs all light, rendering it completely black with no discernable surface features. An especially terrifying material for building mazes and setting up jumpscares.

Inter Spikes

A deadly throwing weapon. These inflict both damage and stasis on targets, but shatter upon use. They can also be used to brew Potions of Stasis Resistance.

Potion of Stasis Resistance

A very important defense while traversing the Inter. Brewed from a Mundane Potion.

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I do have a lot more brainstorming to do where other "cold" and energy-sapping features are concerned... Any feedback is welcome.

I like the idea for defense focus mobs, but I feel like their great rewards should be balanced, and what exactly are their Great Rewards? I'm currently thinking diamond shards would be a cool addition to the game that could be a drop to them with a slightly lower drop rate than that of Gold Nuggets from Zombie Pigmen, and function the same way. I also think, due to the way ice works in your world idea, that if they teleported after they lose too much health, travelling to them to get them would create more work for the potential reward! I really do like the extra challenge of absolute ice, it reminds me of gym and enemy hideout puzzles from the Pokemon games, which I loved solving--plus outside of the Fold, it would be a really cool mechanic for all sorts of minigames and other stuff. I do feel as though Absolute Ice is cool enough for simply its movement mechanics. I don't feel as though turning all nearby lava and extinguishing nearby flames would be interesting, however, and a bit overpowered for a block. Being immune to flames and explosion is good, however.

Overall, I really like this suggestion, and I would also hope there would be a lot of super rare but extremely rewarding structures for one thing: it's Hypospatial. You could make a portal in the Overworld, explore around one area, come back, then make another portal a few hundred blocks away in the Overworld and see an entirely new section, and I would LOVE that. Minecraft has been wanting to encourage exploration, and a world like this would be perfect: rewarding exploration with an easy way to access new areas. Where the Nether feels claustrophobic, I would love to see the Fold be very open, with less height, more of an arctic sprawl with big icycles hanging down from a roof you can't see from the ground due to a heavy white.

Also, in one last note, I don't think all mobs should be defense based: there should be, scattered among the high reward, high defense mobs, be protector mobs, with about the difficulty of Endermen in their health and attack power, that don't have as good of drops and become hostile alone, or with a slight compromise to their health and attack power if this concept is used instead, in groups, when a defending mob is attacked.

Hope this helps you brainstorm a bit more! It's a great idea, just needs some tweaking.

I like the idea for defense focus mobs, but I feel like their great rewards should be balanced, and what exactly are their Great Rewards? I'm currently thinking diamond shards would be a cool addition to the game that could be a drop to them with a slightly lower drop rate than that of Gold Nuggets from Zombie Pigmen, and function the same way. I also think, due to the way ice works in your world idea, that if they teleported after they lose too much health, travelling to them to get them would create more work for the potential reward! I really do like the extra challenge of absolute ice, it reminds me of gym and enemy hideout puzzles from the Pokemon games, which I loved solving--plus outside of the Fold, it would be a really cool mechanic for all sorts of minigames and other stuff. I do feel as though Absolute Ice is cool enough for simply its movement mechanics. I don't feel as though turning all nearby lava and extinguishing nearby flames would be interesting, however, and a bit overpowered for a block. Being immune to flames and explosion is good, however.

Overall, I really like this suggestion, and I would also hope there would be a lot of super rare but extremely rewarding structures for one thing: it's Hypospatial. You could make a portal in the Overworld, explore around one area, come back, then make another portal a few hundred blocks away in the Overworld and see an entirely new section, and I would LOVE that. Minecraft has been wanting to encourage exploration, and a world like this would be perfect: rewarding exploration with an easy way to access new areas. Where the Nether feels claustrophobic, I would love to see the Fold be very open, with less height, more of an arctic sprawl with big icycles hanging down from a roof you can't see from the ground due to a heavy white.

Also, in one last note, I don't think all mobs should be defense based: there should be, scattered among the high reward, high defense mobs, be protector mobs, with about the difficulty of Endermen in their health and attack power, that don't have as good of drops and become hostile alone, or with a slight compromise to their health and attack power if this concept is used instead, in groups, when a defending mob is attacked.

Hope this helps you brainstorm a bit more! It's a great idea, just needs some tweaking.

All helpful feedback!

Also, what do you think of the XY to XZ correspondence (to go north in the Overworld, you go up in the Fold and other things like that)? I figured the dimension would be very up-and-down in nature, fairly narrow in the Z-axis but expansive in the X and Y, almost like an abyssal glacier canyon.

I was also thinking of an opposite dimension to the End simply called "the Beginning" where the player is unaffected by gravity and can pretty much float anywhere they want, fitting your idea of a very non-claustrophobic dimension, but it's even less thought-out than the Fold.

Have any ideas for Fold mobs? I do think it should have at least a couple of the more neutral defense-oriented mobs, but I could use some input on aggressive mobs. I was also thinking that the "stasis" effect would, aside from freezing the player, reduce damage taken since the player is locked in a tough shell of ice.

I feel like the concept of XY to XZ correspondance would actually work best with your Beginning idea, since there's no gravity, and the End already exists as a rather non-claustrophobic dimension. I love polar opposites best, and for this ice dimension to be sprawling, dark and foggy ice plains with interesting mobs sounds like a beautiful contrast against the Nether's many layers of fire and towering heights. Plus, it would be much easier to navigate a vertical axis in a no-gravity world such as your Beginning Idea, which would make the vertical concept a lot more useful. Plus, if its vertical, I can only imagine an overabundance of Absolute Ice and ledges and... you know where I'm going, the stakes would be too high for many players.

I think golem-like ice creatures would be a lovely addition, they could be broad-shouldered creatures with ice crystals on their back. Maybe also large ice wolves/lions? Somewhere between half and two thirds the height of a zombie. Maybe also a projectile mob called an Ice Witch, with a large icicle cap (a potential drop) which is like a witch's hat covering its entire face and pointing up, could shoot icicles from afar?

I really like your stasis affect, that's pretty balanced out. Maybe if players stay still for too long they become frozen for fifteen seconds until they can move again, perhaps as a balancing factor for encouraging quick decisions when on Absolute Ice (i.e., if you stand planning on it for too long, you get stuck, as well as if you're looting chests.)

If there were to be Ice Kingdoms, similar to Nether Fortresses, a cool idea would be sets of armor, with each set held together by ice and acting as a hostile mob guarding the kingdom, but wouldn't spawn anywhere else in the Fold?

I'm editing as we brainstorm. I included a couple of new potions that are brewed from Mundane Potions, so they would actually have a use with this.

I could also use some more thoughts on Unvarium… I'm never a fan of Minecraft items with only one use (cough... Nautilus Shell... cough...).

I'm also thinking about renaming it. I originally called it the Fold for its narrow and vertical nature, but we've decided against that feature. It still seems slightly fitting for its hypospatial nature, but I'm not sure if that's enough. What would be a more fitting name? I've ruled out "the Upper"...

First of all: I am LOVING Fold Cathedrals as the equivalent, and I am also loving the idea of pre written books generating in structures! You have a lot of really good ideas here, and I'm living for this. As for Unvarium, I like the concept of it, it makes a lot of sense, I'm not entirely sure I understand how it's made. It seems a little bit like a cluster of unrelated items with no purpose combined in to one, and I also don't feel it's fitting to have it contain so many items from outside the realm when its purpose is survival in the realm.

I would suggest Unvarium be obtained via mines in the Fold, similar to abandoned mineshafts with a bit of rarity to them, or made out of a drop from one of the Fold mobs that can be smelted down or refined in some way to make it. It would also be cool if polar bears would drop fur that could be crafted in to armor and could be used to up to halve the effects of Fold statuses, that would certainly give them more of a use than what they currently have.

Renaming sounds nice, though admittedly, I have no idea. Immediately searched antonyms for Nether got and got exactly that unfitting name. Not sure what it could be called, by all means.

I've replaced Unvarium with Antium, something that seems a little more fitting. Still has the Potion of Phasing.

I'm slowly wanting to bring yet another dimension into this idea... my "narrow and vertical XZ to XY" abyss idea is still floating around my head, but I'm not sure what would be unique enough as a "landscape" for it...

And how about "the Inter?" The root word means "between," fitting for both the dimension's huge expanses and its hypospatial nature.

I get where you're coming from. Ultimately, I feel the Aether is just a day time version of the End in the spring: we've already got something like that, with floating islands, and its more fleshed out than ever with the recent End City updates. I think a sprawling ice-based plane would be a lot more of a thick contrast.

At the end of the day, it comes down to this: One has a showable example and this does not. And a lot of things are written more in the heat of excitement than in reasoning and peer review. Refined, this could be a neat idea. At least it has some basis in game mechanics and Mojang's future wish to revisit combat mechanics, and isn't just a one word post saying "we should have an ocean dimension where u can breath underwater n diamonds r everywhere". Which admittedly makes it a lot easier to be sour to the idea of new dimensions. A lot of dimensions sound really cool, are well written and good, would make a lovely addition to the game...as an optional mod. But to become a part of the base game and change some mechanics entirely for everyone is a lot bigger of a decision. I fear a lot of new dimension ideas are great but end up in that one pitfall: A modder's dream without the modding skill, whose only hope is for it to become apart of the game so they don't have to make it. And if you can't mod it's a lot easier to not understand the game's coding limitations and suggest absolutely outlandish things.

Don't know why I wrote an essay here, just know I agree that a lot of dimension ideas don't really fit with the game, but if the Nether ever got an evil (or good) twin, I would love to see a sprawling ice dimension such a this, because it contrasts the Nether's tight quarters and towering, dangerous drops. Again, the Aether is a really cool name, and I love their Nether revamp, but ultimately, the Aether is the End in bloom, its own contraster, not an antonym for the Nether. If the Aether were added to oppose the End, I would support it.

I don't know... I kind of like the Aether idea better... It's got a lot of the freezing and ice features I had in mind (and even the hypospatial nature) while keeping a more serene and lively appearance. It would be a lot more expansive and less of a simple island ring like the End.

I think the true opposite of the End would be my original "Fold" idea with the narrow canyon and XZ to XY correspondence.

I get where you're coming from. Ultimately, I feel the Aether is just a day time version of the End in the spring: we've already got something like that, with floating islands, and its more fleshed out than ever with the recent End City updates. I think a sprawling ice-based plane would be a lot more of a thick contrast.

The End:

- Small floating islands (compare: Overworld caves)

- Barren, inhospitable wasteland

- Inhabited by dimension-hopping aliens

- The Ender Dragon, which you must kill to get out

- Themes: space, teleportation, void

The Aether:

- Large floating islands (compare: Nether caves)

- Paradise, except colder and everything wants to kill you

- Themes: sky, ice, wind

Your proposed dimension:

- Corner Far Lands-like

- Themes: cold, energy absorbption

To further differentiate the End and Aether, I suggest the End should have isles at differing heights (even on top of the other), while the Aether shold have them at (mostly) the same height.